Smoked Oxtail
Oxtail is rubbed with a bold spice mixture and hot-smoked over many hours at low temperature. The collagen-rich meat becomes incredibly tender through the long cooking process and falls nearly off the bone. Hickory and oak provide an intense, robust smoky flavor.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparation and Rubbing
20 min + 4-12 hours restingCut oxtail into even pieces, trim excess fat. Combine all rub ingredients and massage generously into all meat surfaces. Rest covered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Smoking – Unwrapped
5-6 hoursPreheat smoker with hickory-oak wood to 110-120 °C. Place oxtail pieces and smoke uncovered until a deep mahogany crust forms and a core temperature of approximately 70-75 °C is reached. Spritz lightly with water or beef broth every 2 hours.
Smoking – Wrapped (Texas Crutch)
3-5 hoursTightly wrap oxtail pieces in butcher paper. Continue smoking at 110-120 °C until a core temperature of 93-96 °C is reached. The connective tissue must be fully converted to gelatin – the meat should feel soft when pressed.
Resting
45-60 minutesRest the wrapped oxtail in an insulated cooler for at least 45-60 minutes. Unwrap and serve immediately. The meat should pull away easily from the bone.
Pro Tip
Oxtail has a lot of fat between the vertebrae – after reaching the core temperature of 93 °C, plan for a resting time of at least 45 minutes so that the rendered collagen can be reabsorbed into the meat.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.